Improvement in harvesters



C. B. BROWN.

Hemp Harvester,

Patented May 11, 1858;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

O. B. BROWN, OF ALTON, ILLINOIS.

IM PROVEMENT IN HARYESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20,191, dated May 11, 1858.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1,0. B. BROWN, of Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Harvesting Hemp; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of an endless apron and guide-rods arranged or placed relatively with each other and the sickle or cutting device, as hereinafter shown and described, whereby the hemp as it is cut and one swath formed is conveyed back from the sickle and deposited on the ground at a suflicient distance from the standing hemp to allow an unobstructed walk or track for the team when the succeding swath is being formed.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the main frame of the machine. B is the driving-wheel, and O is a horizontal rectangular frame attached to one side of the main frame, the frame 0 being supported at its outer end bya wheel, D.

To the front end of the frame 0 a sickle, E, is attached. This sickle may be of the usual reciprocating kind fitted over fingers a, and operated from the driving-wheel B by means of gearing b and a crank, c, or by any of the known devices used for such purposes.

F is an endless apron, which works around rollers old, the front roller being fitted in the frame 0 obliquely with the sickle E, the back roller being fitted between arms e, which project back of the frame 0. The rollers 62 d are parallel with each other, and the apron F, in consequence of the position'of its rollers d, will have an oblique position with the sickle E, so much so that the back end of the apron will extend back of the driving-wheel B. (See- Fig. 2.) Motion is communicated to the apron F by means of a belt, f, which passes over the back roller d and around a pulley, g, on the axle of the driving-wheel B.

G is a platform, which extends from the front bar of the frameO to the front part of the end- To the outer end of the frame 0 an inclined bar, J, is attached, the back end of said bar being the elevated end. To this barJ a series of rods, K, are attached, said rods extending down to the side of the apron F, as plainly shown in Fig.2.

The operation is as follows: As the machine is drawn along the hemp directly in front of the machine is cut by the'sickle E, and as it is cut it is guided by the rods I K upon the .endless apron F, which 'as it moves discharges the hemp back of the driving-wheel B, leaving an unobstructed space or swath included between the points a a, (see Figl2,) which forms a clear or free path for the team when the succeeding swath is being cut. 4

I am aware that endless aprons have been applied to harvesters, and arranged in various ways for the purpose of discharging the cut grain therefrom; but I am not aware that an apron has been arranged as herein shown, and used in conjunction with guides so as to discharge the cut hemp at a distance from the standing hemp, in order to form an unobstructed track for the team. I do not claim, therefore, an endless apron separately considered or independent of the arrangement herein shown; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. Placing the endless apron F in an oblique position with the sickle E, so as to operate as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The endless apron F,in combination with the guide-rods I K and sickle E, when the several parts are placed relatively with each other as shown, so as to operate as and for the purpose specified.

' O. B. BROWN.

Witnesses SEBASTIAN WISE, STEPHEN LUFKIN. 

